Holster for a gun



Nov. 1, 1960 A. J. LECLERC 2,958,448

HOLSTER FOR A GUN Filed April 30, 1959 INVENTOR ARMAND J. LECLER'C MW M,

ATTORNEY United States Patent G HOLSTER FOR A GUN Armand J. Leclerc, Leominster, Mass. (Mill Circle Road, Winchendon Springs, Mass.)

Filed Apr. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 810,154

2 Claims. (Cl. 224--1) This invention relates to a new and improved holster for a gun,.particularly for a toy gun in the form of a short rifle or the like, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of an inexpensively manufactured simple construction, quick-draw holster for guns, particularly for those having relatively elongated barrels; and the provision of a holster including a belt to extend about the waist of the user and including inter mediate the ends of said belt, an elongated, depending, flat portion which is integral with the belt and co-planar therewith, said belt and said elongated intermediate flat portion being preferably molded of plastic material and there being a spring clip on said elongated member adjacent the lower end thereof for clipping and releasably holding the barrel of the gun near the muzzle, in combination with a U-shaped bracket on the intermediate flat portion located above and in spaced relation to said spring clip, said U-shaped bracket cooperating with a new and improved button on said gun, said button being preferably molded of plastic, together with certain parts of the gun, said button having a stern which quickly and easily slides into said U bracket to be releasably held thereby by gravity, and at the same time providing a pivot-point for the stock of the gun when handled by the user, so that the gun may be released from said spring clip and swung forwardly to hip-firing position, or selectively, it may quickly and easily be removed completely from the holster to fire and in any other way desired, as for instance at the shoulder and with both hands.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation illustrating the holster and showing the position of the gun when held thereby;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, looking in the direction of arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sections respectively on the respective lines in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view on an enlarged scale illustrating the U-shaped bracket.

In carrying out the present invention, the holding action of the holster depends upon the gun itself which in this case is a toy gun made of molded plastic material and in the form of a cut-down rifle which has a short stock 10, a barrel 12, and other parts as may be necessary or required. This gun is made of molded plastic material and at one side surface thereof, which is the left-hand side of the gun, the same has molded integrally therewith a button 14 which is integrally held in spaced relation to said gun by means of a stem or the like 16.

The holder itself may comprise a waist or belt portion generally indicated at 18, and this is or may be similar to that disclosed in my copending patent applica tion Serial No. 737,009 filed May 22, 1958. In any event, this belt portion is adapted to extend about the waist of 2,958,448 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 the user, and intermediate the ends thereof it has a relatively elongated, flat, depending, co-planar portion 20.

The depending portion 20 and the belt portion 18 are preferably made in one flat piece as by molded plastic construction and it will be seen that this provides a very inexpensive and simple basis for a holster of the type described. Also, if desired, a tie 2 2 may be attached in any way desired adjacent the free end of the depending portion 20 to tie about the leg of the wearer.

Mounted adjacent the free end portion of the leg, there is a horizontal spring clip generally indicated at 24 which may be riveted as at 26 or otherwise secured to the extending portion 20 of the holster. This spring clip is in general U-shape, the two arms of which are spaced just enough to receive and resiliently grip the barrel of the gun (or the fore-end thereof), and a lip at 28 is provided so that the gun may he slapped into the open end of the clip quickly and easily and releasably held thereby.

In spaced relation to said spring clip and spaced thereabove, there is a generally U-shaped gun-holding bracket generally indicated at 30. This bracket is best seen from a comparison of Figs. 2 and 5. As shown in Fig. 5, it com-prises a flat portion 32 which may be riveted or otherwise secured to the flat depending holster portion 20. Integrally molded (in plastic) therewith, there is an inclined upstanding portion 34 which extends into another vertical portion 36. Rising from the portion 36, there are a pair of spaced arms 38 and 40 of unequal lengths, and it will be observed that these arms are located in spaced relation relative to the holster as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The shorter arm 40 is located at the forward portion of the bracket as clearly seen in Fig. 1, the belt being used by a right-handed person.

The stem 16 rests in the fork of the U-shaped gunholding bracket as shown in Fig. 5, with the button 14 located between the arms 38 and 4-0 and the holster portion 20, and the button is held thereby so that the gun is held to the holster. The fore-end or the barrel of the gun is releasably held in the spring clip 24, and this effectively holsters the gun so that it is carried free of the hands.

When the gun is desired to be utilized, the right hand of the user may grasp the stock 10 and urge the same in a counter-clockwise direction, releasing the barrel from the spring clip, the entire gun pivoting on the stem of the button. In this condiiton, of course, the gun may be fired substantially at waist level or slightly below.

However, once the barrel is free of the spring clip, the right hand merely lifts the gun so that the button is disengaged from the bracket 30 and of course the gun may then be lifted by both hands and utilized in any condition or position.

Release of the gun from the holster, and particularly from the bracket, is facilitated by reason of having the forward upstanding arm 40 of the bracket shorter than the rearward arm 38. At the same time, this provides a quick and easy locating means for re-holstering the gun since it is merely necessary for the right hand of the user to bring the gun back until the stem 16 abuts upstanding arm 38, passing above the end of arm 40, and then the gun is released to fall by gravity :so that the stem 16 rests in the bottom of the bracket, whereupon a slight motion in a clockwise direction on the gun butt or stock re-engages the fore-end or the barrel with the spring clip.

It will be seen that this invention provides a relatively inexpensive but very effective gun holster particularly for toys. It is molded of plastic very inexpensively, the bracket 30 is also molded of plastic and may be adhesively applied to the part 20 or riveted thereto, and the spring clip may be molded out of plastic also, although in this case a strip of spring steel is probably preferable in many instances.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details tion, and an intermediate free-ended co-planar flat laterally extending portion integral therewith, spring means on said extending portion adjacent the free end thereof for removably holding the muzzle end of the gun, a generally U-shaped bracket fastened to said extending portion in spaced relation to the spring means and adjacent the belt, the U-shaped bracket comprising a pair of parallel mutually spaced free-ended arms which are also spaced from the plane of the flat laterally extending portion, the free ends of the arms extending away from the 4 spring means, said U-shaped bracket receiving and supporting a headed projection on the gun with the muzzle end of the gun located in the spring means, the spring means comprising a U-shaped clip having the opening of the U facing forwardly as respects the belt.

2. The holster construction of claim 1 wherein the arms of the bracket are of unequal length, the shorter arm being located forwardly of the longer arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 681,392 Fugate Aug. 27, 1901 1,439,310 Hay et a1. Dec. 19, 1922 2,001,321 Berns May 14, 1935 2,212,756 Stewart Aug. 27, 1940 2,347,006 Tibbetts Apr. 18, 1944 2,576,231 Lawson et al. Nov. 27, 1951 2,806,316 Ruger Sept. 17, 1957 2,832,519 Ojala Apr. 29, 1958 

